Deep Background

Use references to reveal insights into job candidates.

By Debra Woog McGinty
and Nicole Moss

Reference checking is
an essential step toward minimizing risk in the hiring process. Yet anecdotal
evidence suggests that a mere half of U.S. employers ever speak with the references
supplied by job candidates. Comprehensive reference checking provides important
opportunities not only to learn more about candidates, but also to evangelize
your company, impress your candidates, and even develop new business.

How well can you really
know a person by talking on the telephone and even meeting face to face? In
some cases, not all that well. One recruiter said he and a hiring team recently
identified a seemingly exemplary candidate, only to find by checking references
that the candidate had a history of sexual harassment--including an active
restraining order filed against him by a current colleague. One bad hire has
the potential to ruin your company, so it pays to conduct adequate due diligence
before selecting a person to join your organization.

Select your referencesThe best sources of information,
aside from the candidate, are former supervisors, colleagues and direct reports.
Your candidate should supply you with detailed information regarding his
chosen references including name, title, company, telephone number and relationship
to the candidate. Also take advantage of your network by talking to individuals
who can give you further insight into the candidate.

However, it is not advisable
to do so-called “stealth reference checking” by contacting individuals
at the candidate’s current and/or former places of employment. Should the
candidate discover this additional check, he will probably perceive this as
a lack of trust, and will also be understandably concerned about jeopardizing
his professional relationships and even his current job.

These feelings could be
difficult to overcome in developing a strong working relationship, should
you decide to actually hire the candidate. Besides, “stealth” reference
checks seldom produce insights that you can’t gather by adequately interviewing
a candidate’s personally selected references.

Prepare your questionsSome hiring organizations
seek only to verify a candidate’s former place(s) of employment. A fraction
of companies, concerned about accusations of defamation, cautiously prohibit
managers from disseminating information other than dates of employment. In
fact, a recruiter is entitled to ask past employers anything not protected
by equal protection laws that relates to a candidate’s ability to do a job.

An indispensable toolInterviewing a candidate’s
references is the most revealing, yet least used selection practice.
Take advantage of this low-cost opportunity to gather information.

Identify what you really
want to know about the candidate in order to make a hiring decision. Then,
using those goals as a guide, prepare questions framed so they are likely
to be answered in detail, and design follow-up questions that encourage each
reference to give specifics behind his original answers. To get you
started, here are a few examples.

When you want to
know: Can this candidate do the job?Ask: Did this candidate
meet your expectations in fulfilling her job duties?

This is a great blanket
question because it addresses a candidate’s ability to do the same or
similar job. Past success or failure is usually predictive of success
in the future. This question gets the reference to explain the specifics
of a previous position and relate the candidate’s performance to each
element.

Drill down by asking
about the expectations or goals of the candidate’s position. Inquire about
the candidate’s level of performance and whether the candidate simply
met expectations or exceeded expectations. You are looking for a performer,
so listen for a strong endorsement of her ability to understand the job
and meet its demands.

Ask: How did this
candidate handle X, Y and Z? (Fill in the blanks with two or three key
responsibilities of the job)?

Select three key issues or
responsibilities that must be understood completely and accomplished in
an exemplary manner to achieve success in the role. Focus your inquiry
around these responsibilities. Answers to specific questions about these
qualities will tell you how successful your candidate has been in the
past in dealing with the challenges you expect him to face in your company.

Ask: Do any of
this candidate’s achievements stand out for you? How did these impact
the company or department?

You want to hire an
achievement-oriented person. Not only should the reference remember the
achievement, he or she should be able to supply you with perceptions such
as, “we were really proud of her, she topped sales for the department
and for the state,” or, “he took the initiative here, and it
was noticed by senior management.” Listen for comments colleagues
make about employees who go the extra mile.

When you want to
know: Will this candidate be easy to get along with?Ask: How would
you characterize this candidate’s relationships with her supervisor/ peers/
direct reports?

Will your candidate
be a daily source of positive energy or a drain on morale? How your candidate’s
supervisors, peers and direct reports perceived her, reacted to her, and
worked with her is indicative of how your staff may interact with her.
Candidates usually present their people skills in the best possible light
during an interview process. By probing about a candidate’s relationships
over time, you may establish a more accurate picture of the person.

When you want to
know: Will this candidate be a team player?

Ask: Tell me about
a time when you noticed this candidate went above and beyond for the benefit
of the team, demonstrated a high level of commitment to a project, or
overcame large obstacles to complete a project.

You not only want
your candidate to be a team player and meet expectations, you also want him
to go above and beyond. Is he a dedicated employee or perhaps focused
on employee development as a manager? Of course, these simple questions
evoke strong “yes” responses, but digging deeper will give you
a better sense of the extent to which your candidate embodies these values.
If the reference cannot think of any stories to answer this question,
you may be getting a red flag that your candidate is not a team player
or does just enough to get by without ever going the extra mile.

When you want to
know: Does this candidate have bad habits you should know about?Ask: What are some
areas this candidate could improve upon?

Begin this one by
acknowledging that no one is perfect, and everyone has areas to work on.
In addition to the actual answer, listen for the area the reference chooses
to focus on. Did the weakness pertain to maturity, inexperience, interpersonal
skills or ability? The importance of the area is whether an improvement
can be made, and what caused the weakness in the first place. Stronger
candidates may be weak in skills that they have not had the opportunity
to develop.

Be wary of candidates
who should have worked on this weakness by this time. Another mark of strong
candidates is that they are often aware and focused on working on their weakness.

Reference checking is
an often undervalued tool for gaining other perspectives on a candidate before
you make a hiring decision. Although the preparation requires extra effort,
the investment in making a good hiring decision is worth the time spent. Don’t
miss this opportunity to gain important insights into your candidate’s performance
history, interpersonal skills and capacity to make a contribution to the team.